Real Life and What's Happening...

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I stupidly allowed myself to get sucked into an argument with a guy claiming there was never a space program and it's all been smoke and mirrors since the 60s. He kept rebutting my arguments with claims that all opinions are equal and that there's, "always another side to the coin".
You'd think after so long on the internet I could just ignore that sort of thing...



That's always been my motivation to run... that when the time comes I need to be able to do it. Every time I run, since I was a kid, the first image my mind conjures is being chased by armed apes on horseback.
I hired two guys to carpet my mom’s house three years ago and somehow we got into a conversation about whether the earth was round or flat. One of the guys insisted that the earth was flat and quoted Bible verses he said proved that. So I asked him if the moon and other satellites orbited around the earth. Completely confused him. He did a great job laying the carpet but I was worried for a while.
 
I hired two guys to carpet my mom’s house three years ago and somehow we got into a conversation about whether the earth was round or flat. One of the guys insisted that the earth was flat and quoted Bible verses he said proved that. So I asked him if the moon and other satellites orbited around the earth. Completely confused him. He did a great job laying the carpet but I was worried for a while.
As a Christian who adores science, I'm literally laughing at some people's absurd take on ahem reality. We went to space! We LOOKED! Sheesh.
 
I hired two guys to carpet my mom’s house three years ago and somehow we got into a conversation about whether the earth was round or flat. One of the guys insisted that the earth was flat and quoted Bible verses he said proved that. So I asked him if the moon and other satellites orbited around the earth. Completely confused him. He did a great job laying the carpet but I was worried for a while.

As a Christian who adores science, I'm literally laughing at some people's absurd take on ahem reality. We went to space! We LOOKED! Sheesh.
It's not limited to any particular political/religious affiliation. We had a gal and her boyfriend who we hired to clean our house fairly regularly. Sweet kind people but he clearly loved his random conspiracy theories and she followed him down every rabbit hole. West coast anti vac because it caused autism, government black helicopters, flouride in tap water is for mind control the whole nine yards. Cleaned a mean house though with all natural cleaners.
 
My personal favorite was a guy who was adamant that the Moon was a holographic projection hiding an alien mothership, and that the Moon landings was the president sacrificing the astronauts to spare earth.
Unsurprisingly he smoked a lot of pot.
 
I was at a party once in my twenties and someone insisted that cancer wasn't a real thing and was actually a government conspiracy to eliminate black people.

That response made me instantly regret making the joke about liking my hot dogs to come off the grill blackened "even if it did cause cancer".
 
I am a little drunk but gotta share the good news. The meeting with the vice president and president went well. Much better than I expected. I had the chain of command drilled into me in the military so I took this opportunity very seriously (don't waste their fucking time). I was grateful that I lost some sleep preparing for the meeting. I ensured that everything I said was delivered in a clear, succinct manner and backed up with emails, IMs or witnesses. I firmly but politely explained that if there wasn't any resolution I would have to resign from the position. They were extremely receptive, thanked me for my candor, and asked me to reach out to them directly with any further concerns. By the end of the meeting the president was ready to lay down the hammer (not at me) when I pointed out the lack of leadership from my supervisor and his supervisor, promising to make some changes and asking me to hold out a little longer.

They also asked what I thought about my junior colleague and I advised that I felt she would be a good fit for a leadership or mentor position. She is young but competent and has a genuine talent for explaining complicated procedures in a clear and succinct manner.

Edit: I treated myself to an outrageously expensive shave & haircut at a men's salon but the staggering amount of hugs and kisses from the Mrs over the following few hours while we chilled at a bar showed me that it was a worthy investment.
 
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As a Christian who adores science, I'm literally laughing at some people's absurd take on ahem reality. We went to space! We LOOKED! Sheesh.
I don’t think the Bible says the Earth is flat. I think he just misunderstood a saying (4 corners of the world) that we still say today. Especially in light of Isiah saying the world is round.
 
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I don’t think the Bible says the Earth is flat. I think he just misunderstood a saying (4 corners of the world) that we still sat today. Especially in light of Isuah saying the world is round.
Revelations, Enoch, and Daniel are three instances used by flat earthers. Revelation 7:1 speaks of four angels standing on the four corners of the earth and restraining the four winds of the earth. Note the repetition of the word four- the four corners refer to the four winds- north south east and west. Not four literal corners. We use this nomenclature even today.

Daniel is even stranger - as the phrase they use "The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth," is in a dream. Enoch has a similar explanation, but I can't remember it offhand.

People interpret and reinterpret the Bible to justify all sorts of crazy things.
 
That's always been my motivation to run... that when the time comes I need to be able to do it. Every time I run, since I was a kid, the first image my mind conjures is being chased by armed apes on horseback.
I was running away from my heart attack. Joke's on me, I've been even lazier during the pandemic.
 
First day of work after the big meeting. Five minutes after I log on, my boss's boss is asking me how I am doing and if I need help with anything. This guy never reaches out to me unless there is a huge problem. I might hear from him 3-4 times a year. Normally when I log on I immediately have to deal with a mountain of urgent, emergency issues that have been brewing overnight but someone took care of it for me so I could start right away on my normal tasks. My boss also assigned someone to temporarily assist me during the mid-day crunch. It was still work and I work hard but it wasn't soul crushing or exhausting.

I guess the President wasn't kidding when he said he was gonna lay down the hammer. Obviously this is only day one and who knows what the future holds but I was surprised to see immediate positive change.
 
Starting up a new contract today. This time subcontracting as an associate (London-speak for a contractor working for a consultancy firm) for an outfit doing public sector work. Bit of a change from insurance, I suppose.
 
I decided to drink the rest of a bottle of bourbon that has been sitting on my desk for a while now and everyone else is asleep, AMA.

(And to head off the question everyone should be asking: Yes, it is embarrassing to see all those dumb arguments I had on here in the past, and that is why I've taken an active attempt to avoid doing it anymore.)
 
I decided to drink the rest of a bottle of bourbon that has been sitting on my desk for a while now and everyone else is asleep, AMA.

(And to head off the question everyone should be asking: Yes, it is embarrassing to see all those dumb arguments I had on here in the past, and that is why I've taken an active attempt to avoid doing it anymore.)
how much is/was the rest? also, what kind?
 
About to go on a date with my wife. Getting ready. Going to the rarely used since the pandemic part of the closet where all my decent clothes hang... realizing that my button up shirts don't want to button up around my belly anymore... ;_;
 
One time I in '92-ish was taking a taxi home after undergoing a liver biopsy at Woden Valley Hospital. Might still have been feeling the sedative a bit. The driver treated me to a long discourse about how AIDS didn't exist and was a conspiracy by the World Health Organisation and could be cured by treating sea-water until you puked and then drinking two cups of olive oil to replenish your lost vitamin C. The WHO was also responsible for 83% of all failed relationships, conspiring to attack working-class people from above and middle-class people from below. When we arrived at my flat I told him that I worked for the WHO and confirmed it all. He hurried away.
 
My personal favorite was a guy who was adamant that the Moon was a holographic projection hiding an alien mothership, and that the Moon landings was the president sacrificing the astronauts to spare earth.
Unsurprisingly he smoked a lot of pot.
He's gotta be loving that Moonfall *documentary* coming out that I just saw the trailer for.
 
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So, on the one hand, I now find myself having to work even more overtime because a coworker decided to assign me several hundred items without talking to me about it first.

On the other hand, I’m about to earn several hours of overtime for doing work as complex as George Jetson pushing a button all day.

I really don’t know how I feel about this one.
 
So, on the one hand, I now find myself having to work even more overtime because a coworker decided to assign me several hundred items without talking to me about it first.

On the other hand, I’m about to earn several hours of overtime for doing work as complex as George Jetson pushing a button all day.

I really don’t know how I feel about this one.
I had a job like that for a while. Quality control for Coca Cola bottling. Nothing to complicated and routine as heck. I read a lot of books. If I had that job now I'd do side work while there either or pay or hobbies like painting. It was oddly enjoyable because the pay was ok and the freedom wasn't bad. Hope yours has some similar benefits.
 
I had a job like that for a while. Quality control for Coca Cola bottling. Nothing to complicated and routine as heck. I read a lot of books. If I had that job now I'd do side work while there either or pay or hobbies like painting. It was oddly enjoyable because the pay was ok and the freedom wasn't bad. Hope yours has some similar benefits.

I have a friend who had a job like that for a major bridge / tunnel project (I think it was the bridge / tunnel between Denmark and Sweden). Basically all he had to do was watch some screens for alerts, and take / transfer the occasional phone call. If everything was going smoothly he mostly just sat there.

He made a full chainmail shirt on the clock to pass the time, the links were hand formed from heavy steel wire.
 
I had a job like that for a while. Quality control for Coca Cola bottling. Nothing to complicated and routine as heck. I read a lot of books. If I had that job now I'd do side work while there either or pay or hobbies like painting. It was oddly enjoyable because the pay was ok and the freedom wasn't bad. Hope yours has some similar benefits.
I knew a guy in my reserve unit who had an awesome do-nothing job. He sat on a stool at a factory or workshop or something with a fire extinguisher at the ready. I was so jealous.
 
Every Christmas break I'm reminded once again that Spittingwife and I have fundamentally different ways of relaxing. I like to sit with a book and a beer in my hand, she likes the two of us to reorganise the house from top to bottom and polish the underside of things, while also supervising contractors doing various little projects around the house. If I want time off during my time off, I have to negotiate for it. She drove a particularly hard bargain this time around.
 
I have a friend who had a job like that for a major bridge / tunnel project (I think it was the bridge / tunnel between Denmark and Sweden). Basically all he had to do was watch some screens for alerts, and take / transfer the occasional phone call. If everything was going smoothly he mostly just sat there.

He made a full chainmail shirt on the clock to pass the time, the links were hand formed from heavy steel wire.
What I liked about this job was I had to do something every 15 minutes which took 3.75 minutes to do. Lots of time to do other things. It was the swing shift 4pm-2am so no real traffic. But also no real social life. And no future.
Every Christmas break I'm reminded once again that Spittingwife and I have fundamentally different ways of relaxing. I like to sit with a book and a beer in my hand, she likes the two of us to reorganise the house from top to bottom and polish the underside of things, while also supervising contractors doing various little projects around the house. If I want time off during my time off, I have to negotiate for it. She drove a particularly hard bargain this time around.
I know that one!
 
I had a job like that for a while. Quality control for Coca Cola bottling. Nothing to complicated and routine as heck. I read a lot of books. If I had that job now I'd do side work while there either or pay or hobbies like painting. It was oddly enjoyable because the pay was ok and the freedom wasn't bad. Hope yours has some similar benefits.
Afraid not, but it was the easiest work I’ve had since 2012. Click the mouse three times, type two words, then click the mouse again. Almost five hours of it, but far less taxing than the research and outreach I usually do.
 
Afraid not, but it was the easiest work I’ve had since 2012. Click the mouse three times, type two words, then click the mouse again. Almost five hours of it, but far less taxing than the research and outreach I usually do.
That is not intense but seems boring. Sorry about that
 
I finished my AWS Solutions Architect Associate training. But about 80% of the way through the course, I found out the one my job had directed me to was out of date. Now I have to figure out if I need to take another course... I'm hoping with my certificate from that course and that fact, even though I haven't been able to take the exam, it will count as completing my goal for my yearly review.

On the plus side, they're doing away with performance based bonuses and reviews next year in favor of a continuous coaching and everyone gets their target bonus rather than you having the opportunity to get screwed because politics.
 
I finished my AWS Solutions Architect Associate training. But about 80% of the way through the course, I found out the one my job had directed me to was out of date. Now I have to figure out if I need to take another course... I'm hoping with my certificate from that course and that fact, even though I haven't been able to take the exam, it will count as completing my goal for my yearly review.

On the plus side, they're doing away with performance based bonuses and reviews next year in favor of a continuous coaching and everyone gets their target bonus rather than you having the opportunity to get screwed because politics.
Do you feel the training was valuable?
 
Do you feel the training was valuable?
Oh yes, definitely. I just think the certification will help with job security, as they need a certain number of certified solutions architects to keep their level of support with AWS. And it will help me do my job better- I've been doing this AWS as the sole point of contact for a hugely complex document system for a few years now without the certification and only self-trained. It sucks... I've found out some stuff doing this training that has been wrong with the architecture of the system for years and I just didn't know.
 
Picked up a new mentee this week, which is great. Essentially, I have a habit of going and finding people and walking them into a cybersecurity career. Currently, I have 3 of these.

“The boys” and I have been playing gloomhaven online like crazy. We enjoy it quite a bit.
 
So the University of Georgia won the NCAA Football National Championship.

And you know, it sounds silly but UGA winning the national championship means so much to me. The last time they won before this year was in '80, before I was born.

So I was born in Athens, GA, the city where UGA is. Growing up I was a casual fan of the football team. But my dad has always been a hardcore fan. When I was a teen it turned into a way for me to connect with him, through enjoying sports together. And then it just turned into something more for me personally, too. And I became just as big of a fan.

And then 4 years ago, my dad was given 3 months to live. He was 79. He had caught a rare fatal fungal infection in his brain.

I remember that year I was like, OK, Georgia can make it this year. We can see a championship together. And though Georgia faltered that year... my dad didn't. It was unprecedented, but he just... got better. He lived. He's completely cured from a disease that it was thought impossible to recover from.

But, again, he's in his 80s. Every year the though for me was "will he be here next year?" And every year Georgia got so close, but then we ran into Bama, the team that just always seemed to have our number. And every year it hurt to think that he wouldn't be here to see it with me when we finally broke through.

He's 83 now. He's still alive. I watched the game at his house tonight.

We got to see Georgia win a Championship together.
 
well my kid tested positive tonight. I didn't. He's pretty broken up because we were going to a concert (Tool, in Tacoma) tomorrow. Just can't now.
This ones pretty hard to avoid unfortunately. I'm just waiting for the day one of mine does. Sorry you guts wont be able to go to the concert.
 
well my kid tested positive tonight. I didn't. He's pretty broken up because we were going to a concert (Tool, in Tacoma) tomorrow. Just can't now.
I think Omicron got me too. And I managed to not get infected by all the previous waves… even working the COVID wards back in the beginning (with proper PPE, of course).

Right now I have fever, muscle pains all over and a sore throat, all of which looks a lot like Omicron, and I’m getting tested tomorrow, and maintaining isolation until them. Sucks for my family but what else are we going to do?

Stay safe, everyone. Omicron is no joke. And inevitably other variants will follow.
 
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